Karl-Anthony Towns vs LeBron James: who to start in Week 2
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LeBron James 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 122.6 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Karl-Anthony Towns. Over the season, LeBron James leads in points leagues (40.9 fantasy points a game to 40.5) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 9-cat leagues (21st against 47th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 28, 12:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #24
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 2.12, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.8 z, slot 2.09, $31
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #23
- 40.9 FP/G, slot 2.11, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #47
- +0.4 z, slot 4.11, $17
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: LeBron James. 40.9 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 23rd on our board to 24th.
9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (21st to 47th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 2 (AST and STL).
Per 36 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns produces more: 47.0 fantasy points to 44.3, on 31.0 minutes a night against 33.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LeBron James 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 122.6 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Karl-Anthony Towns | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 40.5 | 40.9 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 33.2 |
| PointsPTS | 20.2 | 20.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 11.9 | 6.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 6.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.2% | 71.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 60 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Karl-Anthony Towns | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 47.0 | 44.3 |
| Points | 23.5 | 21.9 |
| Rebounds | 13.8 | 6.8 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 7.5 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 3.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Karl-Anthony Towns | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.7 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.9 | +0.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.3 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.1 | -1.4 |
| Total | +2.8 | +0.4 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
No punt changes the answer: Karl-Anthony Towns stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Karl-Anthony Towns | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +2.0 (#20) | -0.3 (#71) |
| REB | -0.1 (#59) | -0.1 (#63) |
| AST | +3.1 (#13) | -1.4 (#122) |
| STL | +3.3 (#14) | -0.5 (#76) |
| BLK | +2.7 (#19) | +0.4 (#48) |
| 3PM | +2.8 (#19) | +0.8 (#39) |
| FG% | +1.8 (#29) | -0.7 (#78) |
| FT% | +2.0 (#22) | +1.7 (#29) |
| TO | +3.8 (#20) | +1.8 (#36) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games (Tue DET, Wed @CHI, Fri @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- LeBron James: 3 games (Wed @IND, Fri NYK, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back.
Karl-Anthony Towns or LeBron James: the Week 2 start/sit call
Recent games
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 42.4 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 40.5 on the board.
- LeBron James: 38.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 40.9 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Karl-Anthony Towns playing tonight? · Is LeBron James playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Karl-Anthony Towns or LeBron James?
Points leagues: LeBron James. 40.9 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 23rd on our board to 24th. 9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, +2.8 in summed z-scores against +0.4 (21st to 47th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Karl-Anthony Towns or LeBron James?
Category by category, Karl-Anthony Towns is ahead in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 2 (AST and STL).
Who should I start in Week 2, Karl-Anthony Towns or LeBron James?
Karl-Anthony Towns plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), LeBron James 3. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 122.6 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Karl-Anthony Towns.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 12:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number